Any character that was a part of the Gunshine Beta experience (and was created prior to November 2nd, 2011), was given a "Beta Key" as a token of appreciation for helping to test/form the game and go through massive game changing updates, etc.
NOTE: For those that weren't here during that time, it's now possible to purchase a Beta Key through the shop.
The key is a simple 'Epic' (Purple) melee weapon boasting of a mere 6.7 points of damage, and a 25% bonus against unarmored opponents. Many people seemed a bit disappointed at first, not realizing that the "weapon" itself wasn't the gift.
Players were repeatedly warned to keep their keys as it would unlock content in a future update, though no information was given regarding what KIND of content. (If you were previously awarded a Key, and lost it, another was issued on November 23rd).
There has been much speculation about the key, but twenty days later, the graphic shown at the right was put onto the forums, along with the following text:
"This week something extremely special will take place! We will introduce for the first time in Gunshine.net a locked room which can only be accessed using the Key of Awesomeness. Prepare."
This confirmed that it opens a door to exclusive content, and the following day, we found out what that content is.
Key Benefits[]
"Wear this hat proudly to show you were in Gunshine Beta. Come back soon to get access to awesome missions, boss fights and loot!" - Dawnbreak Bartender in the "Room of Awesomeness" when you receive the GepX tinfoiled Stetson hat.
The key is required to get access to the "Room of Awesomeness" Which is a room in the back of the nightclub at Pirate Bay, guarded by an NPC named "Bouncer". The room itself has an interesting statue in the middle of it.. apparently dedicated to the players of the Beta. The area immediately surrounding the statue offers a surprise of it's own... reminding us of why the key itself is a melee weapon.
- The GepX tinfoiled Stetson Hat, offering a meager 16 points of armor, is a party hat, the first item available in this area, but as noted above, there will be more content available in the future.
On December 1st, 2011, An update appeared on the Gunshine.net news area (visible here). The teaser announced that the Beta key was added to the shop, and that exclusive Beta Key content had been added.
Currently, the exclusive content has been expanded to also include:
- A new island (Omega Island) was added to the map, and new missions, one including a new boss called "Sneaky Zombie". As with the previous key content, the first of the missions can be picked up from this room.
- Another boss was added to Omega Island, called "Brains".
- A few level 10 missions were later added, along with a "Headmaster" Boss.
- A "Supercell Rootbeer" item was given as a mission reward for completing headhunter at any level. Players are warned.. Keep that rootbeer! It's a melee weapon that does very little damage, but could prove to be important at a future unspecified date.
- Two more level 30 bosses were added, "Bigboss" and the triumphant return of "Swarmbot."
Trivia[]
That's GepardiX on the left.
The name of the Hat "GepX" is a direct reference to player GepardiX who became a moderator during the Beta. He once posted the picture shown here, in the "Show yourself" thread on the Gunshine Forums, wearing a Tinfoil hat. At this time, (and as of this writing) GepardiX is also the highest ranked character in Gunshine, despite no "XP advantages" being given to him as a mod.
The new NPC in Pirate Bay's strip club, guarding the door, is named Bouncer. The name "Bouncer" presumably refers to a bar bouncer, though it also looks to be a reference to the Admin named "Bouncer".. especially since the clothing and character look similar to Bouncer's in-game character.
"Sneaky Zombie" is named after Sneakymaori ( sneakymaori,a1 ) one of the other original mods & currently senior moderator alongside GepardiX and Migraine that help keep Gunshine running, and represents the first Boss character named after a player.
Migraine, One of Zombie Online's Senior moderators, has the "Migraine" melee weapon named after him. While not being the strongest weapon, it is the only one that can affect the movement of the character, permitting the character to run like a zombie, with their arms flailing around. This item is only available in the shop, under the melee tab.
The NPC who hands out the mission for "Big Boss" on Omega Island is none other than "Cal." Cal Al is one of the "J-12" (January, 2012) mods.
Deadguy71, also a J-12 moderator, has an NPC too, but not within the Beta Key areas as Omega Island didn't exist at that time. The NPC was likely added due to his work as Bureaucrat/Admin for this wikia, because it appeared prior to him getting a moderator position. The Deadguy NPC is lying down on the job (just like the real guy!) within Chimera's lair at "New Venice Square," giving out the mission for "Dr. Evil Emmett", who is the alter-ego of an administrator that used to be closely linked to this game.
Keep your eyes peeled for a Kelly Sweet reference.. She's also a J-12 Mod, and although there's already an NPC that says "meow", similar to Kelly's "Meow meow" phrase that she was notorious for prior to becoming a mod, it's not her.
The Maniac Mansion mission contains three bosses who each drop 6 items named for three of the J-12 Moderators: Kelly has a selection of belts, Cal has some cool shades, and Deadguy has selection of neckwear. As an additional spoof, Deadguy's Melee Scarf offers a Ranged Power bonus, while Deadguys Ranged Lace offers a Melee Power bonus. The "typo" is a reference to the many similar typos which used to appear in the Boss Drop lists.